Store-service apparatus



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(No Model.)

R. GORNALL. STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

Patented Deo. 29

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(No MORAL)A R. GORNALL. STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

No. 465,966! Patented Dec.29,1891.

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' R. GORN'ALL'. STORE SRRVIGR- APPARATUS. No. 465,966. Patented Deo. 29', 1891.

I Y R 6W M 6% @www La @Mw IINTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD GORNALL, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE LAMSON CONSOLIDATED STORE SERVICE COMPANY,OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

STORE-SERVICE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 465,966, dated December 29, 1891.

Application filed March '7, 1891. Serial No. 384,119. (No model.)

T all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD GORNALL, of Baltimore, Maryland, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Store-Service Apparatus, of which the following', taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

One object of my invention is to provide a way between two points, with one end xed ro and the other movable, so as to incline the Way to allow the carrier thereon to travel by gravity.

My invention has several other objects, hereinafter mentioned. 1

My invention consists in certain means whereby the movable end of the way is held in an elevated position and whereby the same end is automatically released by the carrier to assume a lowered position, so that the carzo rier may return by gravity over the same line.

My invention furtherconsists of certain features hereinafter described, 'and pointed ont in the claims. l In the drawings which illustrate my invention, Figure l represents the two ends of the way, the location of the cashiers desk, for instance, being at the left and the location of the salesmans counter at the right, with the wire of the way between the terminals broken away. Fig. 2 is a plan View at the salesmans desk, showing in section the device for keeping the wireway taut. Fig. 3 is a central Vertical section otl the pulley used for raising and lowering the movable end of the Way at 3 5 the salesmans desk. Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the linezeof Fig. 6. Fig. 5 is a plan view, in section, taken on the line g/ y of Fig. Fig. 6 is a detailed view of the devices by means of which the wireway may be moved longitudinally, the view being taken in the `direction of the arrow, as shown in Fig. l. Fig. 7 is an enlarged side elevation of the retarding mechanism for limiting the descent of the carrier upon the flexible extension of the way. Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the drum of the retarding device, showing the piston-rod in dotted lines and the piston-cylinder partly broken away. Fig. 9 is a plan view of the retarding device 5o through the lines z5 of Fig. '7, with the cylinder partly broken away. Fig. 10 is a side view of the carrier, with the sliding frame and section on the line 54 s* of Fig. 5. Fig. ll is an end elevation of the carrier, showing the device for permitting the carrier to pass 55 an obstruction on the way. Fig. l2 is aplan View on the line .e353 of Fig. 10, showing the square bearing-plates ot the pivoted portions of the carrier which are adapted to be swung aside when meeting obstructions on the way. 6o Fig. 13 is an enlarged detail view ot' the' device for permitting the pivoted portions of the carrier to be swung aside when meeting obstructions on the way, the said pivoted portions of the carrier being shown in the position taken when .the said carrier comes in contact with the sliding frame.

The wireway @extends between the two stations and is composed of ordinary wire stretched' taut. Itis connected at the cashiers 7o counter in any suitable manner to a sliding plate I, which forms a continuation of the track for a short distance. The plate I,Which is cast in one piece, moves in a slot .I in the straight portion ot the bracket C, parallel to its edges and open at one end. The bracket C extends rearwardly in the direction of the way and is supported upon a hanger A by means of a sleeve surrounding the same and adjnstably secured by means of set-screws.l 8o The way is continued for the car to run upon between the end of the plate I and the hanger by means of a rope e or other flexible connection, lowering upon receiving the weight ofthe carrier and operated in any suitable manner to raise the carrier and to restore it to the permanent way.

From the straight portion ot' the bracket C extends upwardly a tlat piece K, at the upper end of which is pivoted the lever H by a go horizontal arm H', and from the under side of the arm II extends the projection T, adapted to bear against the lever' L, pivoted on the projecting piece M of the bracket C.

A pin N projects from the plate I, which moves in a slot in the horizontal portion of bracket C as the plate I slides in the slotJ in said bracket. The lever L presses against the pin N as the projection T throws forward the upper end of the said level', the said pro- Ioo j ection receiving its movement from the lever H, with which the carrier comes in contact with considerable impetus as it travels down the incline of the way u, so as to slide the plate I along slot .I toward the postA and exert considerable pull on the wire way a, so as to detach the end from which the carrier E has been received and lower said end in a manner hereinafter described. The carrier, after passing the lever H, runs upon the extension e, which lowers under the weight of the carrier. The rope e passes over pulley X and down to a device, hereinafter described, for regulating the descent of the carrier upon the rope c. At the opposite end ot' the way is a post B, suitably supported from the ceiling or from the counter or iioor and serves to sup port the end ofthe way at the cashiers desk.

In order that the carrier may run by gravity to and from the cashiers desk, I support the vertically-movable'end of the way at this station upon the standard or post l5 in such a way that it may change the inclination of the way to allow the carrier to run from and to the cashier. The wireway'a is connected to the bracket f, which is curved upwardly, as shown, and is attached to the sliding frame D, which is supported upon the post B. The bracket f extends below the frameD and terminates in a fork, into which fits the fingerl). The pivot CZ extends through the bracket f and finger b. Against an extension of pivot d bears a light spring c, attached to bracket f and tinger b, and so set as to hold said finger lightly in contact with standard B. A set-screw b' prevents the upper end of finger b from swinging outward and prevents further inward movement of the linger l) by the spring c, so that the end of the iinger is held lightly in contact with the said standard,and a longitudinal pull upon the wireway a will release said ringer from the projection on the standard B.

Upon the upper end of the projection a., which is beveled,tits the lower end ot' the tinger l), oppositely beveled.

The rope 7L is attached to the bracket f and passes upwardly, and is attached to one side of pulley F.. To the other side of pulley E is attached the rope 7i, which extends within convenient reach of the operator. By means of the rope h the operator raises the bracket f, and with it the frame D, to its upper position, the catch l) snapping over the projection a, by which the bracket is held in said upper position.

Pivoted at one side near the rear of bracket is an arm a', which extends along said bracket a little distance to one side and alittle above the plane thereof. This arm is provided on its under surface with teeth or serrations b', and the carrier is provided with a projecting pin c', which extends out into line with or under arm u', and is held and pre vented from returning by catching in the teeth of said arm. Pins I and 2 extend from bracket f beneath the arm a and tend to limit the movement of the arm in both directions: As the sliding trame D is elevated to incline the way to the salesmans counter, the inner end of the arm a' comes in contact with the stud $3 on the sleeve a on the standard B, which elevates the front end of said arm and releases the carrier from the teeth and allows it to run by gravity to the opposite end.

In order to keep the Wire taut, I have provided the sliding frame D, mounted on frictionu'ollers t, within which frame is a shell G, (see Fig. 2,) having a partition g, against which the spring Gr bears, the spring at thc other end exerting its pressure against washer on set-screw G2. By compressingr the spring G by means of set-screw the sliding frame D moves toward the set-screw and draws with it bracket f and way a, which is thus kept taut.

The pulley E is mounted in frame F, and is divided into two parts by partition FS. The part FG receives the rope t. The other part fT receives the rope 7b2, attached to bracket f. The shaft F' passes through pulley E, and has bearings in the frame F. The springs F2 and Fg are placed in cavities on each side of pulley, one end ot the springs being attached to the shaft F and the other ends having eyes into which pass pins F5 and F5, extending inward to the frame F. The springs F2 and F8 are ot different tensions, the spring F2 being three or four times stronger than spring F3. These springs are placed in the pulley in opposite ways. The

light spring F3 is wound tight, or nearly so,

andthe strong spring is put in loose, ornearly so. The ropes are then attached to the sides of the pulley with the carrier in its upper position. The springF3 is made easy of access, so as to loosen or tighten it as to almost bal- IOO ance the bracket f and wireway, so that they will fall slowly.

In order to guard against too rapid descent of the carrier when it reaches the flexible extension of the way, I provide a retarding mechanism. (Shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9, and in detail in Figs. S and 9.) The extension e is carried over a pulleyXand downward over a curved pulley C, to which it is secured. This pulley is recessed and contains a retarding mechanism, which consists ot two balls arranged in pockets 5, which gradually increase in diameter upon an eccentric c to the inner periphery of the recess of the pulley. The pulley C is loose upon its snpporting-shaft, and the eccentric e is also loose upon its shaft. A face-plate f secured to this eccentric, covers the opening of the recess and is provided with a wrist-pin, to which is connected a piston-rod g,which carries a piston working comparatively loose in the cylinder 7L', mounted so as to oscillate in suitable bearings. When the carrier has reached the extension e and begins to descend by its own weight, the rope which is wound upon the drum C when the extension c is taut begins to unwind, so as to form a loop for the descent of the carrier, and as it unwinds it moves the drum in the direction of the IIO arrow shown in Fig. 9 and causes the balls to bind in the contracted channel between the eccentric and the inner periphery of therecess, and thus gives movement to this eccentric and through it to the piston-rod and piston, which thuscauses it to work within the cylinder and in this manner to retard the descent of the carrier. l.After the carrier has been lowered and the parcel or change has been placed within the receptacle the operator lifts it above the level of the wire by drawing upon the repec, the point of support of said rope, as shown in Fig. l, on the pulleyT X being a little higher than the point of connection with the wire of the way, thus giving it an impetus to start it along the way. Ordinarily this action would cause the rope which formed the loop to allow the descent of the carrier to become slack where it had been nnwound from the drum, and I find it desirable to provide means by which this slack may be taken up and also desirable to do so in a uniform manner. To this end I have arranged a f usee D with a recess arranged in its larger part containing a springf. I wind upon the insee a suitable cord, and connect it to the outside of the pulley C or to the hub thereof, so that as the carrier descends upon the loop and the rope from the pulley'C is unwoundJ to allow for its descent the cord ot the fusee is wound upon the hub il', thus placing a tension upon the spring of said fusee. Thus when the operator elevates the carrier the slack of the operating-rope is taken up and is wound upon the pulley C by the action of the springf, unwinding its rope from the hub t" and winding it upon the spiral. By means of the fusee I get a regular pressure, and the slack is taken up uniforml` The carrier is shown at E, and is composed ot' a suitable frame provided with bearings for two wheels, running one behind the other. The carrier has a depending loop of a curved shape, as shown at K', upon which slides a plate Z', which constitutes the upper plate of a clamp for supporting the receptacle for the cash or parcel. Alower plate m is connected by means of a screw to the plate Z', the said upper plate being provided with a number of projections, which form channels into which the bail of the receptacle may be held and securely'clampedv by pressure of the lower plate. In order to allow the carrier to pass by the plate, I arrange the frame of the carrier upon one side with the pivoted portions n', which under the action of the plate I are adapted to be thrown aside, which thus allowsthe carrier to pass these obstructions. These arms n are pivoted on square bearingplates o', which in turn are pivoted upon a pin projecting from the frame of the carrier and under spring-tension by means of embracing-arms of the spring P, which extends upward from the point of support and embracing the square shoulder fr', as shown in Fig. 12. Thus an inward movement may be given .to the lower carrier of the arms n by means of .the pivotal connection on the square blocks and a lateral movement may be imparted against the tension of the springarms by means of the square blocks. These arms n extend upwardly and terminate in hooked portions, which hooked portions extend upwardly and are held in recesses in the upper part of the frame, as shown at n', and against all pressure from the inside they are locked in place and any irregular movement of the carrier upon the way will not tend to throw the carrier off the track at this point, as these arms will resist any such pressure. A spring w extends from the lower hooked portion upwardly and places the arm under tension against inward movement. It will be seen that these pivoted portions are held with their hooked ends engaging with the recesses under spring-tension' and are held by the walls of the recesses against lateral movement, and in order to free them from the recess and allow the carrier to pass the obstruction I it is necessary to iirst give them an inward movement to carry the point out of the recess cby coming in contact with the movable portion.of the plate I, and then to give them a lateral movement to overcome the pressure of the spring P. It. will be seen that while this construction enables the clutch to pass the obstruction of the way these pivoted portions are held firmly aga-inst movement which would tend todisplace them by the irregularity of the movement or oscillations of the carrier, and there is no liability of the car being thrown otl the way because of the arrangement ot these pivoted segments.

It will be understood that while I have' shown the way as provided with a IieXible eX- tension I do not limit myself to a store service containing this feature, as my invention is not dependent upon such an extension.

lVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of a way, a carrier thereon, a vertically movable support, to which one end of the way is connected, devices for holding said support in its elevated position, a movable support to which the other end of the way is connected, devices connected to the latter support and extending into the path of the carrier, whereby the momentum of t-he incoming carrier is inl- IOO partedl to said device, the way moved bodily,

the vertically-movable support released from its holding devices, and the inclination of the way changed for the return of the carrier, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a way, a carrier thereon, a vertically-movable support to which one end of the way is connected, devices for holding said support in its elevated position, a slide to which the other end of the way is connected, an upright lever adapted to actuate said slide, a right-angled lever extending into the path of the carrier so as to receive its momentum and adapted t-o actuate said-upright lever so as to impart the impetus of the carrier to the slide, so as to move the way bodily in the direction of the travel of the carrier and to cause the inclination of the way to be changed for the returnV of the carrier, for the purpose set forth.

3. In a store-service apparatus, the combination of the Way with mechanism for keeping the way tant, which mechanism consists of an exterior shell connected to the way and an interior sliding shell having a partition, a spring bearing upon the said partition and one end of the exterior shell and exerting its pressure in opposite directions, and means for regulating the tension of the spring, substantially as set forth.

4. In combination, in a store-service apparatus, a way extending between two points, a carrier adapted to travel on said way, a vertically-movable support to which one end of the way is connected7 a longitudinally-sliding piece to which the other end of the way is connected, an upright lever connected to said sliding piece, a right-an gled lever extending into the path of the carrier and receiving the momentum of the carrier and adapted to actuate said upright lever so as to move the slide in the direction of the travel of the carrier, whereby the draw upon the Wireway causes the automatic release of the movable support and changes the inclination of the way for the return of the carrier, substantiall y as described.

5. In a store-service apparatus having one end of the way connected to a frame slidable vertically, a pulley having cavities on opposite sides for the reception of springs of different tensions, a connection extending from the movable end of the way tothe side of the pulley having the spring of greater tension, and a rope connected to the side having the spring of less tension extending to the operator, for the purpose set forth.

6. In a store-service apparatus, a carrier consisting of a suitable frame and wheels mounted in said frame, and pivotcd arms upon one side mounted on pivoted blocks, bot-h arms and blocks being under spring-tension, said. frame having recesses for holding the arm from lateral movement, combined with the cam-plate at the point of junction for freeing the arms and allowing them to be moved laterally to pass the obstruction, substantially as described.

7. In a store-service apparatus, the combination of a track having a longitudinallymovable su pport at one end and a verticallymovable support at the other end, a ret-aining device at its vertically-movable end to hold the track in its elevated position, and mechanism at the other end of the track adapted to be operated by the carrier for drawing the track in the direction of the travel of said carrier, whereby the vertically-movable support is released from its retaining de-4 vice and the inclination of the way changed for the return of the carrier, substantially as described. In testimony whereof I, RICHARD GORNALL, have signed my name to this speeilication, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 3d day of March, A. D. 1891.

RICHARD GORNALL. lVitnesses:

DANL. FISHER, JNO. T. MADDoX. 

